Privacy Policy

Last updated: 1 April 2025

1. Introduction

Windsor Street Specialist Centre (ABN 86 157 465 075) ("we", "us", "our") is committed to protecting the privacy of all individuals who interact with our practice, including patients, website visitors, and referring practitioners. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).

By using this website or engaging our services, you consent to the practices described in this policy.

2. What Information We Collect

We may collect the following categories of personal information:

• Patient information: Full name, date of birth, address, contact details (phone, email), Medicare number, private health insurance details, and clinical/health information relevant to your specialist care.
• Referring practitioner information: Name, practice address, provider number, and contact details.
• Website visitor information: IP address, browser type, pages visited, and time spent on our website (collected via cookies and analytics tools — see Section 8).
• Correspondence: Records of communications you send to us by phone, email, or post.

3. How We Collect Information

We collect personal information in the following ways:

• Directly from you when you attend an appointment, complete a patient registration form, or contact our reception.
• From your referring general practitioner or other treating healthcare providers.
• From other healthcare providers involved in your care (e.g., hospitals, pathology, radiology).
• Automatically through our website via cookies and analytics tools.

4. Why We Collect and Use Your Information

We collect and use personal information for the following primary purposes:

• To provide specialist medical consultations and coordinate your ongoing care.
• To communicate with your referring GP and other treating practitioners.
• To process Medicare and private health insurance claims.
• To manage appointments, billing, and administrative functions of the practice.
• To comply with legal and regulatory obligations, including mandatory reporting requirements.
• To improve the quality and safety of our services.

We will not use your personal information for direct marketing purposes without your explicit consent.

5. Disclosure of Your Information

We may disclose your personal information to:

• Your referring GP and other treating healthcare providers involved in your care.
• Hospitals and day procedure centres where procedures are performed.
• Pathology and radiology services for diagnostic purposes.
• Medicare Australia and private health insurers for billing purposes.
• Our practice management software provider and IT service providers (subject to confidentiality obligations).
• Regulatory bodies (e.g., AHPRA, NSW Health) where required by law.

We will not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for commercial purposes.

6. Health Information

Health information is treated as sensitive information under the Privacy Act 1988 and is afforded a higher level of protection. We will only collect, use, and disclose your health information with your consent, or where permitted or required by law (e.g., for the provision of health services, or where disclosure is necessary to prevent a serious threat to life or health).

7. Storage and Security

We take reasonable steps to protect your personal information from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification, or disclosure. Personal and health information is stored securely in our practice management system, which is password-protected and accessible only to authorised staff. Physical records are stored in locked facilities.

While we take all reasonable precautions, no data transmission over the internet can be guaranteed to be completely secure. We cannot guarantee the security of information you transmit to us electronically.

8. Cookies and Website Analytics

Our website may use cookies — small text files stored on your device — to improve your browsing experience and collect anonymous usage statistics. Cookies do not identify you personally. You may disable cookies in your browser settings; however, this may affect the functionality of some parts of our website.

We may use third-party analytics tools (such as Google Analytics) to understand how visitors use our website. These tools collect anonymised data including pages visited, time on site, and browser information. This data is used solely to improve our website and services.

9. Access and Correction

You have the right to access the personal information we hold about you and to request corrections if that information is inaccurate, incomplete, or out of date. To request access to or correction of your information, please contact our reception in writing. We will respond to your request within a reasonable timeframe and in accordance with the APPs.

In some circumstances, we may be required to deny access (e.g., where access would pose a serious threat to the health or safety of another person, or where the information relates to legal proceedings). We will advise you of any such refusal and the reasons for it.

10. Complaints

If you believe we have breached your privacy rights, please contact our Practice Manager in the first instance. We will investigate your complaint and respond within 30 days. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at www.oaic.gov.au or by calling 1300 363 992.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal obligations. The current version will always be available on our website. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

12. Contact Us

For any privacy-related enquiries, please contact: